HIV/AIDS and international development charity working in South Africa

Nearly 20% live on less than £1 a day
It has the highest levels of HIV/AIDS in the world
Nearly 20% of the adult population live with HIV/AIDS
1 in 5 children are orphans

Bishop Simeon Trust is a HIV/AIDS and international development charity working in partnership with local community projects in South Africa.

We identify the needs of the local communities and tackle them through effective programmes.

We equip, educate and empower those people who are affected and infected by poverty and HIV/AIDS.

We provide direct support through education and community HIV/AIDS projects.

We advocate for policy and practice change. Working out how to tackle the causes of poverty as well as dealing with the effects of it.

Our Vision

A South Africa where all people benefit equally from the fruits of democracy and where poverty and HIV/AIDS do not prevent people from achieving their full potential in life.

Our Mission

To ensure that orphans, vulnerable children, those affected by HIV/AIDS and marginalised people are enabled to achieve their potential, ensuring that poverty, lack of education, discrimination or circumstance does not exclude them from society.

Our Values

The following values are central to the way in which the Bishop Simeon Trust works.

RESPECT: we believe in compassion, recognising the value and rights of all those we work with.

INTEGRITY: we are transparent and accountable so we ensure that we have the trust of those we serve and those who support us.

SUSTAINABILITY: we work in a way that promotes independence and continuance of support beyond our interventions.

COLLABORATION: we believe that working in partnership with those who share our vision and values builds on existing knowledge and achieves greater impact.

LEARNING: we believe that it is through the power of learning that we will improve the lives of those we serve and assure the efficacy and impact of our work.

Our Accounts

Our History

This is the story of the Bishop Simeon Trust – the man who inspired it, the vision that developed it, and the partnerships that sustain it.

As a young Bishop in South Africa in the 1960’s, Simeon fought the injustices of apartheid and bravely spoke out against the government and society.

He was passionately concerned that something should be done about the young black people of South Africa who were so badly missing out on education after the effects of Apartheid.

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He wrote to a friend in the UK : "There is no doubt that an educated leadership will be crucial for South Africa in the future. The school crisis in the black townships is far more serious than many people realise."
Simeon knew that the key to change within South Africa was through providing education to those who couldn’t access it. It was in response to Simeon’s concerns that Judith Scott, Simeon’s friend in the south–west of England, formed the Devon Churches Support Group for South Africa and by raising funds and encouraging gifts in kind such as free educational places at schools and colleges, enabled the first young black South Africans to fulfil Bishop Simeon’s hopes of young leaders for a future democratic South Africa.
As the students multiplied and were scattered over the UK, support groups were set up to care for them and involvement gradually spread further afield. After some years, a more structured approach was needed for the raising of funds and the monitoring of the way they were spent. It was at a meeting in London in 1988 with Bishop Simeon, Judith Scott and supporters, that the idea of the Trust was conceived. Simeon by this time was very seriously ill, and there was a sense of urgency about getting the project off the ground. Sadly Bishop Simeon died in 1989, but before his death it was possible to tell him that the Trust bearing his name had been properly and legally set up. Perhaps surprisingly to some, the Trust’s Deed specifically prohibits the promotion of religion or religious education and is for the benefit of all disadvantaged people in South Africa where the need is greatest.

Our Partners

The knowledge and wisdom of our local partners within South Africa and our funding partners here in the UK ensure that your money is spent wisely and effectively towards the aims and vision of the Trust; changing the course of peoples lives in South Africa for ever.